Solar Clocks

If you’re stuck on which garden clock to buy, be sure to consider these factors when making your next purchase.

1. Size of your outdoor space

A garden ‘station clock‘ would be ideal if you need a clock for a porch, entrance or small external area. A popular choice is the Paddington clock, measuring 27cm, ideal for perching in cosy spots, whilst adding traditional elegance to your garden. Many station clocks, such as the Paddington are easily fixable using screws, as they come complete with a mountable bracket.

However, if you’ve a large garden or perhaps an open area such as a school yard, where you need a much bigger clock to fill the space, you should opt for a large clock so you can easily tell the time without having to get binoculars out. A big time clock measuring 90cm in diameter would stand out and look great in a large open space

2. Indoor or outdoor

Most garden clocks will be used for the garden and outdoor space, but they often make a great addition to your indoor space too. Skeleton clocks look superb in a living or dining room area, as they are simplistic in design and will work with most colour schemes thanks to their neutral colours. Small clocks also work well in most indoor spaces too.

The best clock for a garden would be waterproof, made from a resistant material such as metal. This way, no matter what weather conditions the skies throw at your clock, rest assured time will keep on ticking by.

3. Want to know the weather?

Many people are keen to know the temperature in their gardens; perhaps to protect plants from frost, or to record a peak summers day. One might just be curious as to what the day holds in store for them.

As such, many clocks now feature thermometers measuring in Celsius and Fahrenheit, which is the ideal solution. Double sided clocks will often show both time and temperature on either side of their faces, whilst single sided clocks often have a small temperature gauge near the centre of the hands.

4. Forget to change the clocks twice a year?

Spring forward, fall back; we all know the phrase but we still often forget to change the time. Radio controlled clocks, which automatically provides the correct time by synchronising to a time code via radio transition, are an ideal solution.

Varying in size and design, outdoor radio controlled clocks are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. They are slightly larger than small station clocks, yet still look elegant in any space.

5. Colour of your garden scheme

Many of you will have a colour of clock which would suit your garden perfectly. If you’ve a white winter wonderland patio, then a white clock would look perfect.

If you have no colour scheme going on (which is perfectly ok too, as you may be planting spontaneously or experimenting with your palette), then a black clock is a neutral colour, which will work and fit in any garden.

Many clocks also feature additional design features, such as cuckoos, horse and bell, other animals, sundials and so forth. If you’ve a garden set up to focus on enticing birds to your garden, then a cockerel and bell clock would be the perfect fit.

At last, the sun is shining! We’ve had a couple of weeks of wonderful weather already lately, which I have been thoroughly enjoying, as I hope you are. Now is the perfect time to get planting ready for summer and strawberries are a great investment of your time at the moment. Not only do you get the satisfaction from seeing them grow well, but once the berries are ripe, they are also delicious (particularly in a cheesecake!) This year we are growing our strawberries in one of these strawberry
barrels, although we’ve also got some in a couple of hanging baskets. Fingers crossed they’ll be a success, we’ll let you know!

Of course, gardens are more than just a place to grow things, they’re also places to sit down, relax and enjoy the beauty around us. At this time of year, one of the best ways to enhance your garden’s natural charm is by taking advantage of solar power. Many garden features and decorations can be powered by the sun and this has a lot of knock-on benefits, for example lower costs as solar energy is free unlike electricity. Solar products can also be placed anywhere outside (as long as the panel is in the sun) whereas mains powered products need to be placed near the house to be connected to the electricity.

Solar lights are one of the most attractive and varied solar garden products available. Some, like the colourful butterflies in the picture, are very pretty and unusual, but if you prefer something a little less extravagant, this set of four lamps is classy and also ideal for lighting up a path or patio area. From table lights to light strings with 50 LEDS, there is such variety available that there will be something for anyone’s taste.

Solar doesn’t just stop with lighting, however. Many water
features come with a solar option, but if you already have a water feature that runs off the mains, you can still save some money (and the environment!) by turning it solar with a solar pump kit.

In addition to decorative items, energy from the sun can also be used to run more practical items. An outdoor clock is perfect when you need to keep an eye on how much time you’ve spent in the garden, but solar clocks that absorb the sun’s rays can often provide an extra power supply for LEDs on the clock, so it can still be used on balmy nights when the sun has gone down. Even pest control devices which chase away those pesky cats or moles can be powered entirely by solar energy!

So versatile, so eco-friendly, so cost-effective – have you tried solar yet?